went to pick her up at Mwagusi, met Riaan there, who told me that there was a good sighting of Python eating an impala calf so we jumped back in my car and drove to the spot where the snake was struggling to swallow the prey, she (the python was a female) eventually gave up, the impala bieng too big and moved slowly but steady for 20 mtrs to hide in the shade of a lush bush close to a nearby drainage line.
this is what I call a good start....
After coffee and cinnamon rolls my guest and me went slowly towards camp, we stop sitting on the boulders at breakfast point watching impalas and giraffes drinking in the little water of the river.
We reached camp before lunch with all the staff lined up, with uniforms, juices and cold towels.... it was good... not perfection but good.
we had lunch and went out towards the Mdonya river where I was told by mic that lions had been seen in the morning.
Bushwillows opened enough to let us seeing a wide variety of animals, 2 herd of lesser kudu's , one marvellous lesser kudu male and elephants.
Later on we entered the forest where ana trees silhoutted against a sky that was getting darker and darker... from pale grey to dark violet... rainstorm was building behind us.
A lone dagga boy standing in the wind and staring at us like if we were entering his own property was a nice prelude to the sixteen lions we spotted few kilmeters later....
The wind of the storm getting colder they all came out of the bush, lot of cubs some females and two majestic males. Is the Mdonya pride, the males are called Pua (nose in swahili, because of the big scar he has there) and Kaka (brother in kiswahili, just because is the brother of Pua).
one of the females was propably geeting in estrus, both the brothers briefly interested in her.
Then the rain strted, wind, big drops, wind, more big drops, wind.... shower. all the lions scuttling now into cover, the Combretum obovatum well suiting this purpose.
Only Pua remained out challenging the storm, his blonde mane getting wetter and wetter to the point that it was stuck on the neck like a blanket over the head.
On the way home we saw a bat eared fox and other breeding herds of elephants.
back to camp again, shower, and dinner.....
Lanterns and stars as a frame for a very pleasant evening with a very nice person fond of africa and fond of the bush, exactly what I needed.
only bad news... my computer doesn't start anymore...
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